German chocolate cake is great low-fat. Really. I was skeptical when a friend first offered me a piece of her low-fat, reduced-sugar German chocolate cake about a year ago. It’s a good thing I tried it, though. The cake is chocolatey, moist and light. It doesn’t sit like a rock in your stomach for hours, […]

My family’s New Year’s Day dinner is required to include black-eyed peas, for luck. (I think the tradition followed us from Texas.) I put a lot more faith in Providence than luck, but I like fun traditions and my dad’s black-eyed peas. My family used to grow black-eyed peas in our garden and shell them […]

I like Christmas. I try to remember the holiday really is about a loving God stooping to our level, becoming human, to save us from our own shortcomings. At the same time, I enjoy family, presents, the decorated tree and other things about the season. When I stop and look, I see the love and […]

Clovis resident Johnny Chavez was born and raised in Clovis. He has spent time on several community committees including city commission for eight years. Even as a college student attending Eastern New Mexico University, Chavez enjoyed working in the community. He continues that today after 21 years running the Summer Food Service Program, which fed […]

If you’re looking for a change from the ol’ ham and cheese, I have a sandwich with a unique flavor for you. A globe-trotting free spirit of a guy introduced me to a couple of sandwich ideas that I combined for the following: “The Hawke” • 1/2 to 1/4 of an avocado, sliced • 1/2 […]

Good morning and welcome to the Freedom New Mexico Tuesday briefing. Food distribution The Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico will distribute to clients from 9 a.m. to noon — or as long as supplies last — Thursday at the Memorial Building in Portales. Clients are being asked to bring their own bags for food. […]

It’s the traditional post-Thanksgiving question: What do I do with all that leftover turkey? In an effort to help answer that, I’ve collected a few ideas from other people: • Green chile turkey enchiladas • Turkey and dumplings • Turkey casserole • Turkey gumbo • White chili (with white beans and turkey) • Turkey salad […]

Liliana Castillo Roosevelt and Curry county students are taking an active part in the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico’s largest canned food drive of the season. Each elementary school classroom received a specially-marked box Monday and Tuesday delivered by food bank employee and Clovis resident Leon Sweat. Each class in each school competes against […]

On Thanksgiving, I have to say I’m thankful for those irreplaceable things in my life: the love of God and redemption from Christ, the warmth and companionship of friends and family, good health, food in my belly, a roof over my head, living in the land of the free and the home of the brave. […]

Liliana Castillo Small individual donations and a few hefty ones helped the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico match a near $150,000 donation almost two weeks before their deadline. A total of $270,000 will be used to build a large refrigerator and freezer with an attached garage area at the back of the bank’s building […]

Argen Duncan Two groups of Eastern New Mexico University students are reaching out to Portales families with food for Thanksgiving. The Voices of Inclusive and Committed Education Students club and the Communications 202 class are collecting Thanksgiving food for seven, possibly eight, Portales families, said VOICES treasurer Jaime Silva. This is the second year VOICES […]

Good morning and welcome to the Freedom New Mexico Monday briefing. Food for prom The Portales High School junior class is hosting an evening of barbecue, games and a live auction today to raise money for prom. The event is set for 5:15-9 p.m. in the PHS cafeteria. Plates are $8. Question of the day […]

Cooking for one and not a leftover fan? Check this out. My mother, Marianna, said her co-worker Denice talked about the meal she’d thrown together the night before. Mom tried the idea, tweaking ingredients to suit her taste. She says it turns out well and is easy to fix. You can try different seasoning or […]

Joe Blair, a life-long Portales resident and World War II veteran, told me you can’t have just one bowl of his red beans. Here’s how Joe does it: • First, he doesn’t believe in soaking the beans. • Put 2 cups of beans in a pressure cooker with a 2-inch chunk of salt pork. Add […]

Liliana Castillo The Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico received a donation of $150,000. There’s one catch; it needs to match it by Dec. 1. Executive Director Nancy Taylor said the money was donated by a foundation in Texas that wishes to remain anonymous. Taylor said money will be used toward refrigeration expansion. The food […]

Grant McGee: Local columnist I was chatting with some folks the other day when one of our area’s unique food specialties came up: The Peanut Butter Milkshake. Well, I think it’s unique anyway. Have you heard of a peanut butter milkshake anywhere else in these United States? Well maybe you have, but with all the […]

USAF photo: Greg Allen Airmen enjoy hamburgers, hotdog sand cool drinks, courtesy of Clovis residents Sept. 25. The “Dorm Swarm,” as it was called, was a thank-you to the airmen by the community for their contributions to the community and service to the nation. By Greg Allen: 27th SOW Public Affairs Base airmen, particularly those […]

Local dairywoman Michelle Heavyside told me she and her children filmed a cooking segment in New York for Borden Cheese recently. That sounded like a little local prestige, and, well, it involved food, so I watched the segment online. Michelle, her son, Hatcher, and her daughter, Grace, are in the kitchen with Barbara Beery, a […]

Local dairywoman Michelle Heavyside told me she and her children filmed a cooking segment in New York for Borden Cheese recently. That sounded like a little local prestige, and, well, it involved food, so I watched the segment online. Michelle, her son, Hatcher, and her daughter, Grace, are in the kitchen with Barbara Beery, a […]